By Samantha Boatman, KOLO-TV

A study released by the Violence Policy Center ranks Nevada as No. 1 for the third year in a row for the number of women killed by men.

Nevada has topped the list five out of the last six years.

The study says the rate of women killed by men is 2.62 per 100,000. This rate is more than double the national average.

According to the study, 35 women were killed by men back in 2010.

These murders don’t seem to be all random acts of violence against women. Actually, 91 percent of the female victims knew their killer, and more than half of the killers were ex-boyfriends, boyfriends, ex-husbands or husbands.

The executive director of the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence, Sue Meuschke, says, “Reducing domestic violence homicide is the responsibility of all Nevada’s communities. As this report points out, women in Nevada are at a higher risk of being victims of homicide perpetrated by people they know and love. Much more must be done in our state to change this outcome.”

The study is released around the same time every year. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.